White Snow and Blank Canvas

Took these pictures last week while Boston was getting dumped on with snow. Thought it was interesting how white the gorgeous snow was falling outside my window, and how very blank the canvas I have hung on my wall that is waiting for attention is.

Have been plotting out a painting or two this week, and the canvas hangs as a reminder to start touching it with paint.

The Patron Saint Of Poets – Kiefer Sutherland as Doc Scurlock

So yesterday I was watching AMC’s rendition of “Cowboys at Christmas,” a marathon of Westerns, and came to realize that Kiefer Sutherland’s portrayal of Josiah Gordon “Doc” Scurlock in the 80’s masterpiece Young Guns is one of the finest depictions of a poet in the history of cinema.

Never mind the question of why someone would air cowboy movies all day on Christmas, or why someone would watch cowboy movies all day on Christmas; never mind Kiefer’s recent legal trouble (he spent XMAS in the hooskow), or the fact that there is a website named http://www.kiefer-rocks.com/ (where the above photo comes from); this new development is huge for the annals of poetry history.

All too often the public has a conception of poets as pale and sickly, yet Sutherland’s character in Young Guns must have killed about 438,000 people before the end of the movie. Even though I am a diehard Young Guns fan, I’d forgotten that Doc was a poet in the film.

The following exchange, with Doc’s love interest Yen Sun is likely one of the best regarding poets and poetry to ever grace the silver screen:

YEN SUN: You must like trouble.

DOC: Trouble? You think I look like... trouble. I'm a poet... carrying flowers of all things.

YEN SUN: And a gun. A big gun.

DOC: It's a big town.


This was enough to convince me that all poets should carry weapons. Any of you poets reading this out there in cyberspace, please bring this up as a motion at the upcoming AWP convention.

Today I am working on the beginnings of a painting and debating which story idea to follow next for a fiction piece I am working on. And praising the Patron Saint of Poets, Doc Scurlock.

Music Video: Yellowcard - Big Apple Heartbreak

So, I have been getting lots of flack lately about my deafening blog silence. And when I say "lots of flack," I mean, the three people who read my blog have said casually "hey, you haven't posted in a while," and then let it trail off absentmindedly.

And what better way to break the silence than to return to my blog roots of posting random music videos from YouTube?

A few months ago I somehow stumbled across Yellowcard's first album and have been playing it on a loop in 617 Midway ever since. I have decided that when I gather up some musical ability and start touring with my own super cool rock and roll group I will do a cover of this song re-titled "Beantown Heartbreak."

And as for the silence? I have been doing lots of writing. Lots of picture plotting. Lots of first book contest entries and other random back-office art studio business. And lots of blog procrastinating.

Sprinkle in lots of listening to Yellowcard and you get the picture.

Happy Holidays.

Michael Davis and the Pushcart

A quick note to congratulate the amazing writer, and fellow member of the Thrown Free School, Mr. Michael Davis for his recent Pushcart Prize nomination.

His story, "The Man in Africa,"has been nominated. You can read the announcement and the story here:

http://www.storyglossia.com/blog/2007/11/storyglossias-pushcart-nominations.html

Congrats Michael.

And... Even More Meditations in Black and White

Above, see November 8a (second one done on that day) and November 12 from Meditations in Black and White.

And... More Meditations in Black and White

Top to bottom above see November 3, November 4, November 5, November 6, and November 8 from Meditations in Black and White.

More Meditations in Black and White

Above, see more of the Meditations in Black and White. Top to bottom see October 25, October 27, October 28, October 30, and November 1.

"Where the Road Begins" Release Party

The Cultural Organization of Lynn (COOL) is hosting a “Where the Road Begins” Anthology release party on Thursday, December 6th from 7-9pm at Brew’d Awakening Coffeehaus, 61 Market Street in Lowell .

The anthology, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, is a tribute to Kerouac’s legacy 50 years after On the Road was first published. 27 writers and poets are published in the book.

I am excited that they have inluded my poem "Parking Lot Destinations" in the anthology.

Brief readings from “Where the Road Begins” will start at 7pm, followed by an open mic at 8pm.

The event is free and open to the public.

Picture above is from http://www.allposters.com/

Exclamation Point 2 & You're Probably in Japan By Now

Last night's event, "Exclamation Point" was a stellar success.

Put on by the Fort Point Theatre Channel, the night featured poetry by John Mercuri Dooley, Angie Elm, Amy Demas Grunder, and Cynthia Bargar; plays or scenes by Silvia Graziano, Meron Langsner, Kelly DuMar, and Gina Bonati; reading by Felisa Dyrud; fiction by Michele Corkery; directing by Brendan Shea; and outstanding acting by Jonathan Popp, Dorothy (Dana) Eagle, Mia Van de Water, Mike Budwey, Nick Thorkelson, Mary Driscoll, Silvia Graziano, and Marc S. Miller. It was truly an amazing group to be a part of. Should have some pics shortly.

You can check the Fort Point Theatre Channel's website at http://www.fortpointtheatrechannel.org/


I was floored by the quality of the acting. OK, not literally. Thankfully no one threw me to the floor. But, as a poet who tries to hit different pitches in reading, watching actors and actresses who know what they are doing, and have an amazing talent, is riveting. I couldn't help but think of the last time I saw Sherman Alexie read and his acting out of a scene from his book (from memory). In short, if you can figure out a way to buy some stock in the actors and actresses who appeared at Exclamation Point last night, get on it.

Of course, the writing was incredible, but the writers get the late hours toiling away at computer screens and that actors come in and steal the show... amazing.

I think of Jack Spicer reading from "Language" and basically channeling different voices while he read every time I get ready for a reading. Too bad I don't have more call for crazy voices jumping around in the middle of my poems. Or, thank God. One or the other.

We miss you Jack Spicer.

You can check it out at:

http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Spicer.html

I read two poems last night- "Ode to Pornography," and "You're Probably in Japan by Now." The second is a bit of a bear to read, as it is so long it is difficult to fight the urge to fly through it (which kills the shifts in tone and the playing of the music against the visual). But it seemed to go pretty well last night.

A few people were interested in getting copies and asked me if it was on my website. The link below will take you to a PDF version of the poem on the Mass Cultural Council website:

http://www.massculturalcouncil.org/gallery/samples/eidsvig.pdf

Thanks again to Fort Point Theatre Channel for an excellent evening and inviting me to come along.

Upcoming Event: Exclamation Point II - Wednesday, November 18 at 7 pm

I have been invited to participate in the Fort Point Theatre Channel's production of Exclamation Point II on November 14, at 7:00 p.m.

The evening will include short plays, poetry, and stories from Fort Point writers and friends- featuring the work of Cynthia Bargar, Gina Bonati, Michele Corkery, James Mercuri Dooley, Kelly DuMar, Silvia Graziano, Amy Demas Grunder, Meron Langsner, Diane Steinkamp, and myself.

The event will take place at Midway Studios, Fort Point, Boston. For more information see http://www.fortpointtheatrechannel.org/

We had rehearsals and run-throughs tonight and it is going to be an amazing event- great work, actors, and writers being showcased. See you all there.

Gulu-Gulu Meet the Artists Night

The opening and artists talk at the Gulu-Gulu show wasn’t so heavily attended, but the show looks good and the Gulu did a great job hanging the work.

Above, see a picture of some of the Model Consumer sketches as hung in the Gulu. They are hanging in the window and look great with the colored lights reflecting off of them.

I am sure the Gulu would be a great place to pick up some Christmas presents. Hint, hint. The show runs through the end of December.

South Boston Online and Upcoming Gulu-Gulu Event

Just found out yesterday that the new issue of South Boston Online- the print edition- features a write-up on this year's Fort Point Open Studios and also includes a photo of me standing in front of the painting "Summer Clearance." South Boston Online's print edition is available in stores in and around South Boston. The photo and write-up are from the November 1 issue.

Also, a reminder that the Gulu-Gulu Cafe in Lynn (www.gulu-gulu.com) is hosting a "Meet the Artists" night for the current three-person show I am included in this coming Thursday (November 8th) at 8 pm. Hope to see you all there.

Meditations? Personal Graffiti? Prayer Drawings?

I am not exactly sure where the idea came from, but I have been working on these individual drawings over the past few days. I have done one every day since the 25th of October, and they take anywhere from an hour to about 3 hours each. All are pen and ink, as you can see, and are on 9” x 12” paper.

I have been reading Kip Tiernan’s “Urban Meditations,” which is amazing, and have always been a huge fan of Frank O’Hara’s “Meditations in an Emergency,” so maybe that is some of it. I think also talking to Nick Dragotta (see previous Howtoons post) last week and discussing his work, and my comfort with pen and ink, it got me thinking I might want to return to some of these works. There are actually a few similar ones on display (and for sale) at the Gulu-Gulu show right now (see http://www.gulu-gulu.com/).

Many of these were done outside near the Children’s Museum in Boston, and are likely influenced by the seagulls (many of my pieces and poems make a connection to flying and birds) and cityscapes, reflections, the human form and memories in general.

So, here are a few of these in the series of “Emotional Graffiti,” “Visual Prayers,” “Meditations in Black and White,” or some other possible title I am searching for. I try and focus on what I am thinking on, and call forms from memory, and then use a combination of found imagery in the pieces and larger overall ideas carrying sometimes between two or three pieces or more.

The ones above are from October 26, 29 and 31 respectively (starting top to bottom).

Happy Halloween everyone.

Tim Wakefield

Well, for those of you not in Boston. or those who happen to not love the Red Sox, the game last night probably meant little to you. But, as usual, baseball fever has enveloped Beantown.

The only sour part of the whole affair for us die hard Red Sox fans is the lack of Tim Wakefield on the World Series roster. While this may or may not be solely due to his inflamed shoulder, Wakefield is a personal favorite of mine. A member of the Sox since 1995, Wakefiled is third all-time for the Red Sox in wins behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young.

So while the win last night was so, so sweet, the only thing missing was Wakey.

Picture above is from Boston.com

In honor of Tim Wakefield, I am posting a poem written (first draft at least) on the back of a series of postcards in Crossroads (corner of Mass Ave. and Beacon Street) in-between watching Wakefield work his magic with the knuckle ball. I'd raced there to meet some friends to watch the game and had to listen to the first inning on the radio on the car ride there. There are a lot of things you might be able to picture in your head during a baseball game on the radio, the chaos of a beautiful knuckle ball is not one of them.

The poem was included, along with "Blue"and "St. Augustine's," in a show at City Hall in Boston a few years ago. I hope you enjoy. And, of course, Go Sox.

RED SOX/ROYALS— MAY 7, 2004
(9 POSTCARDS TO MARTIN)

I.
You can’t hear a knuckleball
over radio, no matter how hard
you listen to the leather
sink and spin through summer
air. Stop trying to hear wind
move— close your eyes
instead. You just might see.


II.
White uniforms, green grass
(being green), broken-in base-
ball hats, the brims stained
with salt and sweat. But you’ll
never hit a knuckleball
the way you’re listening.


III.
Don’t forget
the air even
when you’re
watching it too
much. Swallowing
summer is more
appealing here.


IV.
Don’t forget
the summer, even
when you drink too
much and swing
wildly at knuckle-
balls; grass clippings
at your shoes.


V.
Don’t forget the promises
you made before you stepped
into the batter’s box—

that you’d be cautious
in this summer air. Stop
staring at your shoelaces.

Baseball is the reason
summer was invented.


VI.
There’s no more magic left
in baseball, once you realize
the lights are burning out.

This
game
is
growing
between us.

The scoreboard numbers,
twisted.
The springtime air,
confused.


VII.
Don’t hit the knuckle-
ball.
Don’t you hit
the air.
Don’t hit your
baseball glove
with fists.
The game is almost
over.


VIII.
Baseball was invented
to give drunkards
a sense of peace
in an impossibly irregular
spring. Knuckleballs
were invented
by conjuring brandy
in a glass of summer air
and sucking on an ice cube.

Nothing is there
when you look for it.


IX.
Count the seconds
until summertime
is over. It’s that way
when looking for white
to separate from the air.

It’s that way
when swallowing something
you almost understand
then looking for it later.
You know you are confused.

Howtoons

A brief commercial break:

The amazing artist, and fellow Midway-er, Nick Dragotta released his book "Howtoons: The Possibilities Are Endless" this week.

Amazon describes the book as: "Part comic strip and part science experiment, Howtoons shows children how to find imaginative new uses for common household items like soda bottles, duct tape, mop buckets, and more–to teach kids the 'Tools of Mass Construction!'"

It was all the rage during Open Studios. Kids and parents alike flocked to Nick's studio and the book itself is beautifully done and a lot of fun. Would make a great Christmas gift.

For more info on the book and how to order check out the website at http://www.howtoons.com/

Open Studios 2007

Above, see two images of my studio at 617 Midway during Open Studios this past weekend.

The weekend was a huge success. The weather was warm and the FPAC people did a great job of getting the word out. It was the most people I had in my studio during an Open Studios event by far.

I sold one of the Fire and Ice series as well as a few chapbooks and had great response to my new work. In particular, "Steel Heart," "Target/Target," "Spring Training (Pitchers & Catchers)," and "Summer Clearance" were received very positively.

This Open Studios event was the most highly participated in Midway Studios as well- on my floor alone a number of amazing artists opened up their doors to show new work.

Thanks to everyone who came and I hope you all enjoyed the event as much as I did.

Work in Progress: Summer Clearance

Above, see two shots of the work, "Summer Clearance," in progress.

Kara Walker

Last week’s New Yorker (October 8, 2007) featured a great write-up on artist Kara Walker (titled “The Shadow Act”) written by Hilton Als. For anyone unfamiliar with Walker’s work, it is a nice piece and talks a bit about the artist and her overall project.

Above, find two images of Walker’s work. The first is titled “Jockey” from 1995.

As found on:
http://www.artcritical.com/gelber/EGAmericanCutout.htm

And the second is “Freedom Fighters for the Society of Forgotten Knowledge, Northern Domestic Scene” from 2005 as found on Artnet:

http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424824222/983/kara-walker-freedom-fighters-for-the-society-of-forgotten-knowledge-northern-domestic-scene.html

The article had me thinking back to about 4 months ago. Every so often, I receive a call to artists— either from Fort Point, or some other means. Well, about 4 months ago, I got one that was a design firm looking for an artist who worked with silhouettes, to help with creating a holiday design for a chain of stores they were representing.

In fact, keep a look out this late fall— I wonder which store it was.

I have tried to train myself to pursue leads that come anywhere close to what I do… without doing much filtering. That is, I don’t think “stores?” or “marketing?”, I just try and be open-minded and do some footwork to see where things lead. I have found that good opportunities and interesting projects come from the most unlikely of places, so why not at least do some initial follow-up and find more information?

I explained in my email back, that while I wasn’t traditionally a silhouette artist, per se, I did use cutouts quite a bit in my work, and pointed to examples like “Precious Gems” for examples of my work in shapes to render human forms.

The reply I got was quite polite, and nice (lots of times you get no return on these things). It explained, something to the effect of: “thanks for your interest, and submitting your work, but we are really looking for someone more along the lines of Kara Walker.”

At the time I didn’t think much of it. I thought, yeah, Kara Walker certainly does a lot with cutouts and silhouettes. If anything, I thought, Kara Walker is very famous and accomplished, I am not sure you are going to find anyone that caliber with an email request, but alas.

But the New Yorker article had me thinking about this again. And basically, how utterly insane that comment was. While I understand that the people were discussing Kara Walker’s technique, her work is so against these ideas of image and marketing— the New Yorker article highlights Walker’s use of the sexual and barbaric in her work to display the atrocities of slavery and American society— that it seems crazy to even mention her name in association with what one would be looking for in a project like this.

I think the other problem is that Walker’s technique, of using these black silhouette cutouts, is so embedded in the message and the ideas conveyed that it is hard for me to separate the style and approach from the finished product.

It is really like the email said “we are looking for someone like Kara Walker— extremely talented and inventive, but without any message.” How weird.

So, the New Yorker also had me thinking of Walker’s work again, and how moving and simple it is. She is the type of artist that when I look at her work I think “of course,” while also feeling an emotional punch in the gut.

I recently finished a bio on Albert Einstein and was thinking so much about how the pursuit of mathematics in that way is much like an artist going to the studio everyday. To parallel Walker, she has designed her own type of mathematics with this creative approach and each equation (piece) is precise and interesting and a revelation in itself. Truly amazing and enjoyable.

As I work on “Summer Clearance” and finish it up for Open Studios, considering Walker has me wishing for cutting paper, which I am sure I will do again soon. In fact, one of the websites I came across featured her cutout work next to Alex Katz… another interesting connection to an artist I have been thinking about (see past blog entries).

If nothing else, go read the New Yorker article. Plus, the cover is one of my favorites in a long time.

Completed Work: Swimwear

Above, see a photo of the completed work "Swimwear."

Finished Work: Shoulder Press

Above, see the finished work "Shoulder Press."

Poems in Artpoint

Artpoint Magazine has included two of my poems, "The Reason I Hate Gauguin," and "Dear Jukebox," in their new Fall 2007 issue. The magazine is available throughout Fort Point in Boston at places like The Channel Cafe, Sagarino's, and Flour Bakery.

Work in Progress: Untitled

Above, see a new work in progress that is untitled as of now. It is 18" x 24" and is acrylic paint on paper.

Summer Sketchbook

As promised, see some pages from my summer sketchbook pictured above.


I probably go through a sketchbook every 3 months or so, depending on its size, and use it for all sort of notes and sketches and scribbles. Being a poet, I generally have a notebook for poems in progress as well, although I will jot down
ideas and lines in the sketchbook too.


Pictured here are some pages of the beginnings of recent works in progress. The very top one has some notes that eventually turned into "Spring Training (Pitchers and Catchers)" and the second one down has the beginnings of "The Songs of Captives."


This idea of using circles comes through here in a few of these (per my last post) and I thought it might be interesting to see this stuff in its beginning stages.


I will post some of my life study sketches sometime later. I like to observe and keep my drawing hand in practice in the book as well, although what you see here are more along the lines of preliminary drawing and idea pages.

In Progress: The Songs of Captives

Above, see a picture of the work in progress, The Songs of Captives.

The panel on the left has the map pieces fixed on, while the center and middle are just laid on as I wait to glue them down. I am wondering on cutting some of the circles in fractions to imply the pattern across the canvases or not, and I haven't made up my mind yet.

What you see here are map cutouts in two different sizes as the collage elements. I anticipate a third layer of imagery on top of that (the "three" motif is important to me in all my works somehow) that I have had planned from the start.

As you can see, I mentioned earlier that I would be exploring some different collage elements here, and I meant this use of circular patterns.

Using circles has been a goal of mine for a long time. I did it on a earlier large painting called "Kiss" that was included in a few of my shows in Montana. I read in a write up on Jackson Pollock once that when you begin to work in circles, you are really losing your mind.

While I don't really aspire to lose my mind, I do like the challenge of it (using circles, that is). Also, I have been thinking a lot of Lichtenstein's dots. While he used them to make up a larger picture, I began to wonder what it would be like if the dots were the picture. This piece is my first attempt at that, although I do have plans to incorporate imagery using these circle patters in different ways already living in my sketchbook.

In fact, that gives me an idea- it is probably good to post some pages from my sketchbook over the past few months. I will do that soon. Might be interesting for some of the blog readers.

I hope to have this piece, and a few other new ones, done for Open Studios. Although, the next level of collage is a new approach for me as well, and might take some trial and error to get right.

In Progress: Untitled (Shoulder Press)

Above, see a new work in progress that is currently Untitled.

It is 18” x 24”, acrylic on paper.

I am having some fun with this piece. Like the combination of styles— that is, exploring the skethchy/painterly/pop style I have been using lately, and then using it to imitate a Rothko. I know it sounds a little crazy, but when I started the design, and used the two squares, I thought, “Rothko.”

Of course, this is very different, and anyone who might truly try to imitate Rothko might also find themselves on the linoleum floor and bleeding— but I always like the idea of combining two disparate influences (line/painterly, flat/depth… or here, Pop/Abstract).

The idea informed my color choices, and the loose approach to the paint and forms. Very quickly, the painting became (is becoming) more about how the shapes and colors interact than anything else.

These non-collage works carry a different power than the collage pieces. I am not sure I enjoy one or the other more in terms of their ability to convey expression, but each certainly has its own strength in communication.

October and the Gulu-Gulu Cafe

Hard to believe it is October already, that the baseball playoffs are here, and the Gulu-Gulu Café show has arrived. Dropped my work off there on Sunday morning for the three month show that will run until the end of December.

It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas presents. What better place to do a little holiday shopping than the Gulu-Gulu Café in Lynn?

Their website is http://www.gulu-gulu.com

There is an artist talk scheduled for November there— more on that as it gets closer.

I have 15 pieces in the show— lots of different sizes and mediums. Included are “Coast to Coast,” “Snake Charmer,” “Queens,” and others. They will update their website shortly with all the pieces and prices, so check it out.

I have been busy here— getting prepped for the Gulu show was a large task in making sure I had good photos of all the pieces, that I framed and matted some work, etc. In addition, I have been sending out poetry manuscripts, entering some juried shows, and prepping materials for some additional submissions.

Also have been writing some poems back and forth with Martin Cockroft- who continues to amaze. For anyone who knows Martin and his work, it is a humbling experience to watch his poetic mind in action on the page.

Other than that... Open Studios is right around the corner, and I am expecting a large turnout this year.

Hope to see everyone the weekend of the 19th, 20th and 21st.

Fort Point Open Studios

A reminder that Fort Point Open Studios will be held on October 19, 20, and 21st this year, with the following hours:

• Friday, October 19: 4 - 7 PM


• Saturday, October 20: 11 - 6 PM


• Sunday, October 21: 11 - 6 PM

A note on my opening: My studio at 617 Midway will likely only be open until 5:30 on Saturday and Sunday, so please plan accordingly.

In addition, I will have work at the FPAC Group Show, which runs from October 5 - November 9, 2007 at the FPAC Gallery on Summer Street in Boston.

The Opening Reception for the Group Show is Thursday, October 18th.

For more information on both Open Studios, as well as the FPAC Group Show, please visit http://www.fortpointarts.org/

In Progress: Flowers

Above, see an additional piece in progress from the work "flowers." These are coming along nicely, and I am still not sure exactly how many will be in the finished completed work. I like these three so far together as "Red, Blue, Yellow," and may keep these separate. I will know more as I being the next one.

Work in Progress: Songs of Captives

Above, see a photo of the work in progress "Songs of Captives."

Model Consumer Contest Winner

I am pleased to announce the winner of the Model Consumer Model/Photo Contest is Rachel Matthews of Panorama City, California, for her photo taken at the BCBGMAXARIA in Sherman Oaks, California.

Rachel is the recipient of the $300 prize for the photo contest.

Congratulations to Rachel, and thank you to all those who entered and participated.

Spring Training - Pitchers and Catchers: Completed Work

Above, see the completed work "Spring Training- Pitchers and Catchers." The final work is 2 18" x 24" (approximate) pieces farmed and matted together.

Southie Slam Reminder

A reminder that the South Boston Poetry Slam is tonight- information below:

The South Boston Arts Association sponsors a poetry slam and open mic the last Wednesday of every month, upstairs at the Seapoint Restaurant in South Boston, located at the intersection of G and East 8th Street.

For September 2007 the South Boston Arts Association has increased the prize for the slam to $100.

Signup for the slam and open mic starts at 7:30 pm. Please come and attend or participate and help support the spoken word.

When: Wednesday, September 26th, 7:30 pm
Where: Seapoint Restaurant, 367 E. 8th Street
How: Ample Parking or the MBTA (Number 11 Bus)
Suggested donation: $5

Work in Progress: The Songs of Captives

Above, see the work in progress “The Songs of Captives” (working title for now).

The piece is on 3 16” x 20” canvases, which will be hung with an inch separating them.

This will be a collage piece, although some of it will be used to practice techniques for “Summer Clearance,” and the collage techniques will be a new approach for me, as you will see as the piece progresses. I have been planning out a number of canvases using different collage techniques, and also, as with “Summer Clearance,” a number that use none at all.

“The Songs of Captives” is a line I borrowed from the Spurling bio on Matisse. At one point, Matisse had over 300 birds (akin to his fascination with fish and goldfish due to their colors and shapes and movements)… he said that he identified with the songs of captives as they both reminded him and distanced him from his own predicament (Spurling, page 378).

There is a sound and silence that this is aiming toward that seemed perfectly aligned with this as a working title. More images to follow this week.

Work in Progress: Spring Training

An update on "Spring Training" which is coming along nicely. I am letting it sit at this point, as I consider putting the black lines back into it. But, should only have a few more sessions before it is complete.

Exhibition Announcement: Moakley Federal Courthouse

I just received word that I will be having a solo exhibition at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston in April through June of next year.

The exhibition space is in the second floor atrium— a large brick wall, 12 feet high by 60 feet across with a gentle curve to it. It is amazing space facing the harbor.

It is also a thrill for me, as the Moakley hosts a permanent exhibition of Ellsworth Kelly pieces. I am a huge fan of his work and it is amazing to me that I will be showing in the same facility.

Obviously more information on the show in the months to come, but great news here today.

In Progress "Summer Clearance" & A Gauguin Ambush

Above, see a pic of the work in progress “Summer Clearance” that I have been spending a lot of time on over the past few days.

I am definitely not sure about “Summer Clearance” as a title— but it is better than just keeping “work in progress” up in the subject line every time. This is my first big painting in a while, and I am loving it. There is something different about working on one of these larger works that is more engrossing. While I like the works on paper, and the smaller items, the larger works just dominate the studio while they are in progress.

Have been doing more and more thinking and research into catalogs and marketing over the past few days as I wonder about the series that seems to be ready to take off. One of the strangest things I hadn’t even thought of in connection with catalogs is the idea of “Mail-Order Brides,” which kept coming up on google in searches.

How weird to live in a world with mail order brides! I had this image of every person having their own marketing brochure in the future that you just hand to someone when they meet you. Like a Myspace page times ten, or an advanced personal ad. I checked out a few of the sites that have the mail order brides, and they are pretty advanced— video greetings, interview questions, etc.
Maybe we will all have marketing sites some day. I always liked the idea of dumping out a woman’s purse on the first date, or when a girl asks to go through your wallet. Somehow I am not sure that Ingrid from Siberia is always genuine about her responses. Whereas a wallet, or purse, excavation mission is bound to unearth the ugly truth.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I wasn’t lured into making a call to 1-800-marry-me by any slick catalog offers.

But, on the mid-range of catalogs and using this type of layout as a device for exploring color, line and shape— alongside depth against texture and flatness— the catalog seems like a great universal concept that will allow for some exploration.

Interesting that as I work on this piece I have been reading the Matisse bio by Spurling, I am just to the part where Matisse travels to Tahiti. Gauguin is mentioned, of course, and here I am painting women in beach-like poses with tropical water behind them that look very flat in some respects and heavy and truly taking up space on the canvas in others. The woman in the top left had already been looking very Gauguin-esque to me, and then I stumbled upon this spot in the book.

I guess I had always associated some of what was going on with Lichtenstein (he is behind a few other projects I have in the works to some extent, I think— or trying to build on him is), and with the heavy line, the popular culture references, and the colors, I was more associating with him. In fact, there is a light blue, yellow combination on the woman on the right that when I laid it down reminded me completely of him.

And then, suddenly, I felt ambushed by this Gauguin reference. Maybe that is the key to the great painters, they truly are universal.

It also was more of a surprise attack since I am not the biggest Gauguin fan in the world. I might lead blog readers to investigate my poem “The Reason I Hate Gauguin.”

But, the painting, Summer Clearance, is getting along well. I spend lots of time looking, and lots of time painting and being with the canvas lately.

Work in Progress

Above see some pictures of a new work in progress over the past few days. The piece is untitled as of now, and is acrylic paint on canvas— 36” x 60”

The pictures are over the past few days— you can see the progress of the composition being finalized and the colors starting to get laid down.

Have been working and working and working on some ideas for a series that I am calling “Reading Material” (in my head at least) that is, doing some further looking into material culture, consumerism, etc.

This one won’t be a collage (for now, unless I take a different direction), but I am more and more fascinated with this idea of borrowing from catalogs and their layouts. It is a great composition device, I think— and gives me the opportunity to really focus on color and line a lot, a lot, a lot.

I have repeated a word three times, twice so far in this blog post.

The name of my next book? Three Times Twice

Or: Three Times, Twice

Moving on, I think it is just impossible for me to deny the huge influence Matisse has on this approach any longer. In fact, I started wondering about using the rhythm of some textile patterns in the background to enhance the music and rhythm of the colors as he did, but I scrapped it (at least for now). Instead, I just love the use of the flat color against the curve of line.

As with all my bigger paintings, especially, I have spent a lot of time just looking at this. Painting and stopping and looking. The bigger paintings in progress become like people who live in my studio with me for a while. It is strange. And wonderful.

Like almost all of my work, I get a little uncertain before I begin. I spend considerable time on researching ideas and playing with different approaches. For this “Reading Material” series I have worked on studying store windows, and catalogs, and experimenting with collage elements.

When I began on this one, I wasn’t sure if it was the right direction or not. It seemed strange to abandon collage, even for a single piece. And, I couldn’t help but think, “who paints a painting of a catalog?”

Well, I do.

And as the painting gains strength, as the good ones do, it is becoming more and more obvious that this is entirely the right direction. It seems like the moment before I actually touch the canvas I am nervous and uncertain, and in the right ones the energy sweeps me up right away and grows and grows as I begin work.

There are so many ideas operating here that I love. The most obvious, maybe, is the use of the ordinary object enlarged and pleading to be recognized in a different context. Just last night I was positive, certain, of the need for painting as a major art pursuit. If not the most major. While there are some who might argue that de Kooning killed painting for all of us— or that sculpture, multi-media, installation, is the wave of the future, I realized that with all the bombarding of images (throw-away papers and magazines, tv images and internet content whizzing by), that painting— the escalation of a still image to art status— may be the only way to elevate the base of all these mediums to the sublime. In short, it is not the introduction of all these mediums that has killed painting, but rather their introduction has made painting more essential and powerful. Where else are we asked, or even allowed, to stop and truly consider a single image any longer?

So, for all that I love this work so far. I love the elements of stained-glass that its final version will call to. I love the blocks of color interacting (as Rothko said his colors were like actors in a drama— I feel that here). I love the idea of painting the last gasp of something (catalogs are certainly almost dead— as companies find the savings of producing content on the internet) and preserving it. I find myself straining to stay focused on this one, and loving it at the same time— but already this approach seems to be wanting to burst into a series.

This is probably enough babble and analysis. One last thing is how working on this— the composition— reminded me of Egyptian art and hieroglyphics I’d seen. Something like the Egyptian Book of the Dead (pictured above from www.inspiredplanet.com/oasis.html).

I couldn’t help but wonder if Osiris might jump from one of these images, or if the advanced culture of the Egyptians was actually more focused on selling clothing than we had imagined. Maybe the “Book of the Dead” is truly a “Summer Clearance.”

See another image above from National Geographic’s Expedition Egypt with a focus on the Valley of the Kings:

www.nationalgeographic.com/egyptjournal/photogalleries/valley/index.html

For me, this connection only pushes forward this idea of painting relics— or the relics of our culture. And it all fits in for me on considering image and the power of image, both in our society, as well as hanging on a wall.